Lin Tao ate until she was about sixty percent full. When she put down her chopsticks, the great man thoughtfully asked, “Are you full?”

She quickly replied, “I’m full.”

“Okay.” Jiang Yan stood up briskly and picked up the bag of stuffed animals Lin Tao had left on the extra stool beside her. “Let’s go then.”

Lin Tao nodded and followed behind him. The two walked out onto the street they’d come in on.

Just beyond the street was a subway exit. At this hour it happened to be a small peak-flow period, and a large crowd was spilling out, surging toward the alley entrance.

With people coming and going from all directions, Lin Tao was swept along by the flow, her footing becoming unsteady. Without meaning to, she stepped on the back of Jiang Yan’s heel, and then her whole body, out of her control, crashed into his back.

The soft curve of her cheek pressed directly against his cotton white T-shirt. A clear, fresh scent — something uniquely belonging to a young man — washed over her.

Lin Tao scrambled backward a little, the strands of hair at her temples falling loose, her face flushed, her voice coming out a bit rushed. “……Sorry.”

The lights on both sides of the street were warm and mellow. Jiang Yan looked down at her briefly, shrugged without much care. “It’s fine. Let’s go.”

Lin Tao let out a small breath of relief and kept her head down, walking behind him.

After a few more steps, Jiang Yan slowed his pace and quietly shifted to Lin Tao’s left side, putting himself between her and the bulk of the crowd.

For the rest of the walk, the two still didn’t say much. When they reached the bus stop at the end of the alley, Jiang Yan scanned the posted schedule and asked, “Which route do you take?”

Lin Tao didn’t even look at the sign — she rattled off the number from memory. “Route 33.”

Jiang Yan looked at the bottom of the listing and found Route 33, checked the stops after it. “Which stop do you get off at?”

“Huiyuan Residential Quarter.” Lin Tao looked at him, blinked, and finally remembered to return the question. “Which route do you take?”

“I’m taking the eighth route.”

“……”

Jiang Yan laughed softly. He glanced back and noticed a Route 33 bus pulling up behind them. He tilted his chin toward it. “Bus is here. Come on — I’ll take you home first.”

Before Lin Tao could refuse, she’d already been guided onto the bus.

The two sat down in the last row. The windows were half open, and as the bus moved, a cool breeze drifted in.

“Are you going to school tomorrow?” Lin Tao asked casually as the bus passed its first stop.

Jiang Yan shifted his gaze from his phone to the scenery rushing past outside. “Depends. I’ll go if I wake up in time.”

“……” Lin Tao really wanted to remind him that it was entirely possible he was about to be expelled. “Is that right. Won’t Blackie — I mean, Li Kun — come looking for you?”

“If he comes looking for me, does that mean I have to go?” The boy looked perfectly at ease, head tilted slightly toward her, the faintest smile at the corners of his mouth.

“……”

Fair enough.

Lin Tao pressed her lips together and swallowed back the sentence you might genuinely get suspended.

If the great man himself wasn’t worried, what was she fretting about on his behalf.

Neither of them said anything more.

Jiang Yan kept his head down, absorbed in his phone. Lin Tao took the opportunity to glance at his screen — and discovered he was playing some kind of palace intrigue simulation game.

“……”

Just then, Jiang Yan was holding his phone, brow furrowed slightly, as if he’d run into a difficult decision. Lin Tao leaned in for a look.

On the screen, a line of in-game dialogue: “Noble Consort Xi, His Majesty has rarely visited the Huayang Palace these days. Perhaps Your Ladyship ought to consider doing something?”

Below it were two choices: A. His Majesty is the Son of Heaven — with three thousand beauties in his harem, he cannot be expected to spend all his time in my palace alone. B. Go to the imperial kitchen and tell them: I wish to host a banquet for His Majesty here in the Huayang Palace.

Noticing Lin Tao’s gaze, Jiang Yan tilted the phone toward her, tone perfectly serious. “Help me out — which one should I pick?”

Lin Tao: “……”

“Huiyuan Residential Quarter — next stop. Passengers alighting, please exit through the rear doors.”

The automated announcement echoed through the bus. Lin Tao stood, said a brief farewell to Jiang Yan, “My stop — I’m getting off.”

“Oh.” Jiang Yan looked a bit drowsy, his response lacking energy.

Lin Tao thought quietly to herself: who would have guessed the great man had such a healthy internal clock. It wasn’t even nine-thirty yet and he was already getting sleepy.

Of course, that was a thought she’d never dare say aloud in front of Jiang Yan. She got off the bus quickly, stood on the pavement, and waited for the bus to pull away before turning and heading into the residential quarter.

When she got home, her parents still weren’t back. Lin Tao showered, lay in bed texting Meng Xin for a while, then drifted off to sleep.

Lin Tao had a dream.

In the dream, she was a powerless, lowly palace maid. At a banquet, she caught the Emperor’s eye and transformed from a maid overnight into a high-ranking noble consort of great standing.

The scenes in the dream came fast and jumbled. In one particular moment, Lin Tao looked clearly at the Emperor’s face.

Clean, well-defined brows, eyes with the slight tilt of a phoenix — the way he curved his lips into a smile was the spitting image of a certain person.

“……!”

She jolted awake in fright. The moment she opened her eyes, her alarm was going off. Outside the window, rain was falling softly. Lin Tao rubbed her eyes and exhaled with relief.

Thank goodness. Just a dream.

While brushing her teeth, Lin Tao looked at herself in the mirror, then remembered Jiang Yan’s face in the dream and gave her head a sharp shake.

It was definitely the influence of watching him play that game last night.

Lin Tao put it out of her mind, got ready quickly, grabbed her schoolbag, and headed to school.

After morning reading period, the weekly Monday flag-raising ceremony was cancelled due to the sudden rain. Dean of Discipline Li Kun’s prepared flag-ceremony speech became instead a broadcast over the school radio.

By the time Jiang Yan came into the classroom, the announcer was reading: “……Last Friday, Jiang of Class 18, Senior Year 2, along with classmates Xu, Hu, and Song from the same class, engaged in a violent altercation with Yang of Class 6, Senior Year 2, and others in the rear garden, causing an extremely harmful influence. Fighting constitutes a serious violation of school regulations……”

Li Kun was nothing if not the dean of discipline — his ability to lecture on and on was every bit a match for Old Yu’s. He went on for a full ten minutes. “……In conclusion, after unified deliberation by the school administration, the following students are each issued a serious demerit. Additionally, they are required to write a five-thousand-character self-criticism statement to be read aloud at next Monday’s flag-raising ceremony. Any repeat offense will result in immediate suspension!”

The broadcast fell silent. The classroom fell silent.

Lin Tao turned to glance at Jiang Yan sitting beside her — one hand propped against his head, the other casually spinning a pen — and couldn’t help saying, “You really have no nerves at all.”

Jiang Yan didn’t respond. A few seconds passed before he seemed to come back to himself, looked at her. “Hm? What did you say?”

Lin Tao pressed her lips together. “Nothing. Just a reminder — the ‘Jiang’ they just mentioned on the radio may have something to do with you.”

“……” Before Jiang Yan could even reply, several figures came flying in through the doorway.

Hu Hanghang reached over the desk and threw his arms around Jiang Yan’s neck, wailing, “Bro, where were you last night?! The three of us waited at your place for hours — knocked and knocked and no one answered, called and called and no one picked up. We were halfway convinced you’d swallowed something and killed yourself in there.”

Jiang Yan’s windpipe was being crushed. He slammed his hand into Hu Hanghang’s fleshy arm. “Get off me, you’re going to strangle me to death.”

Song Yuan and Xu Yichuan had at least a functional amount of self-control. They pulled Hu Hanghang back. “Yan, where did you go last night? We kept calling.”

Jiang Yan sat back, rubbing his throat, the whole of him draped lazily against the wall. “Nowhere. Went back to the old estate, then wandered around the city center for a bit.”

At the mention of going back to the old estate, all three of them went serious. They seemed to want to say something, but their gazes slid over to Lin Tao — and they held back.

Jiang Yan knew what they were thinking. His tone was casual. “Go ahead and say it. My seatmate isn’t a stranger.”

Lin Tao, who had been half-thinking she should probably excuse herself, blinked in surprise. Before she could react, Xu Yichuan and the others had already started talking freely. “Your family didn’t give you a hard time, did they?”

Jiang Yan dropped his gaze to his phone. “No.”

“Your dad? He didn’t hit you? And that mentally unstable second uncle of yours — he didn’t cause any trouble?”

“No. I just went back to get some stuff.”

All three of them let out a breath. “Good.”

Sitting beside them, Lin Tao listened — and something felt very off.

Give you a hard time? Hit you? Cause trouble?

What kind of plot was this?

Was this a rebellious bad-boy story secretly dressed up as a wealthy family’s tale of suffering?

Author’s Note: —Yan-bro, a man of mystery—

Also, two new novels have opened in my column! Please give them a save! Love you all!

1. “I Only Want to Like You”

Wen Jiang never imagined that the man who once swore, with absolute certainty, that he would never get married would one day come to her in tears, clinging to her legs and begging——

“Jiang-jiang, please? Marry me?”

Chi Yuan, second young master of the Chi Family of Xi City, was known for his reckless, indulgent ways, and once, in a moment of wine-soaked bravado, declared:

“There’s not a woman in this world worth my love.”

Who could have predicted that one day, a family arrangement would tie him down — and the infamous playboy would be transformed into a clingy, devoted puppy.

“Jiang-jiang, when are you going to come sleep next to me?”

“Today’s entry from Yuan-yuan, who is once again begging for attention.”

「All good things in this world — yet I only want to like you」

◎ Playboy second-generation rich kid × easygoing girl-next-door

2. “You Are the Light in This World [Entertainment Circle]”

Best Actor Ji Huai’an was known for his gentle manner and warm character — the industry’s recognized model of refinement and grace.

Until, one day, a new director named Chu Ning arrived on set.

The gracious gentleman turned sharp-tongued overnight, going out of his way to needle the new director.

Just as everyone was speculating that the two must have some deep, unresolved grudge — someone accidentally witnessed Best Actor Ji Huai’an, after Chu Ning had fallen asleep, lean down and press a quiet kiss to her brow.

The tenderness of it left the witness speechless.

#Best Actor’s Romance Exposed — Ice-Cold Image Shattered#

During the filming of a variety show, Best Actor Ji Huai’an drew a dare: call an opposite-sex friend and say “I love you.”

Ji Huai’an immediately dialed a number. In front of the entire broadcast audience, he said:

“I love you.”

A brief silence on the line — and then a girl’s furious voice erupted:

“Love my foot! I love you!”

“Ji Huai’an, you’re not human!”

“Seven times in one night!”

“I can’t even walk properly, and you’re telling me you love me?!”

Ji Huai’an: “……”

Host: I have a feeling this show is going to go viral.

「Across mountains and rivers, I finally find that you are the light in this world」

◎ Two-faced scheming best actor × gorgeous, clueless, hot-tempered director

Give them a save!! Being beautiful is your reward!!